Dazed and Confused
by jessmerrick
Summary: He's not Jack any more, he's Johnny, he's MJ. He's ordinary, he's 15. But can he lead a normal life? After all he's seen...and all he's left behind?
1. First Day

**Dazed and Confused**

Notes:

The Cliffhangers are stolen from the show Higher Ground.

Cassy played by Katie Stuart (#1) not Colleen Rennison (#2).

If you liked Michael Welch as Clone Jack, please visit my fan site for him at: **http:www.michaelwelch.tk**

If you like to read and/or write Carter focused fan fiction, take a look at: **http:www.samanthacarter.tk**

For those people out there who thought this idea was creepy, of him going to school, well...I can see why. But if we thought about things like that every time we'd have no show would we? Sometimes we have to look past the little plot holes!!

* * *

1: First Day

Johnny O'Neill grinned as a couple of very cute girls jogged up to him, as he reached the entrance to the school building. "Hey," he said, pausing, and then taking off his sunglasses. "O'Neill...J...Johnny O'Neill."

"Hi Johnny," the blonde smiled, touching his arm. "I'm Gracie Maher," she said, and then, pointing to her friend, she added, "and this is Abby Jo, also known as AJ."

"Glad to meet ya," he nodded, waving casually to AJ who was stood back, looking a little shyer than her friend. She had shoulder length brown hair and was clad in jeans and a tour t-shirt. He squinted, attempting to read the writing from a distance.

"It's Evanescence," she replied, with a grin. She stepped forward slightly, when she saw his reaction. "You like them too huh?"

"Oh yes. They're pretty good for the newer stuff," Johnny nodded. "I like the old bands myself."

"Cooly," She smiled again, "so are you new?"

"Yeah, I am, I just moved here from Vancouver in Canada," he nodded.

"Canada? Wow. Where you living now?" Gracie asked, as they walked inside. She paused and waved to a couple of people as they made their way through the halls. She was obviously fairly popular.

"61 Arcadia," Jack replied.

"Wow, that's right near me," AJ told him, waving to several people herself. "I'm at 68. Surprised I didn't see you move in."

"Cool," he said, raising his eyebrows. "I thought I'd have noticed you as well. Got here last weekend. Never forget a pretty face."

"Oh, I was out of state," she blushed.

"Out of state? Holiday?"

"No, AJ has a band. Her folks are pretty cool, they help her out, drive her all over the place," Gracie explained. "Hippies. Cool huh? They're an awesome band."

"That was until my drummer quit," she sighed. "Can't be a band without a drummer, really."

"Yes, well...it would have been awkward wouldn't it? AJ just broke up with him. He was such a jerk recently," Gracie explained again. "You are so better off without him." 

"Sorry to hear it," Jack shrugged, not really knowing what he should say. "But lucky for me, I guess." He winked. She giggled.

"We have a senior who was from Canada," She told him, pointing to a girl with her back turned. He could tell by the hair and the cover story, that was Cassandra Frasier. "Her name is Cassy. But she's one of the really popular people that we don't really mix with. Well...Gray does."

"Cooly," Jack nodded. "Gray?"

"Oh, that's what we call Gracie," AJ replied. She was making eye contact now, she'd obviously decided he was cool. And stopped blushing. "Everyone here has a nickname."

"Right. Well mine back home was MJ. So, anyway, can one of you ladies show me where I gotta go?" He asked, looking around. Everyone was looking at him, talking.

"Sure, come with me," Gracie said, grabbing his hand and leading him down the corridor to their left. He looked back at AJ, who was looking rather disappointed, and grinned at her again. She was sweet.

"Boy, Johnny, you're the talk of the school," She laughed, still pulling him.

As it turned out, Johnny was in most of the same classes as AJ and Gracie, therefore he ended up sitting near them for the morning, except for English where he sat next to AJ, as Gracie was in a lower set.

He found the classes were definitely easier this time around. He just kept his head down, and got on with the work. He ended up finishing most of it way before anyone else, and found himself drifting off in to a day dream, wondering what was happening at the SGC, and what Sam was doing, what he was doing. The original him.

At lunch, he followed AJ in to the canteen. He decided he'd have the salad, as all of the cooked food looked rather scary. AJ had exactly the same. They sat down at a table in the centre of the room, occupied by four other people.

"Whit, Luke and Alex meet Johnny MJ O'Neill. He started today," AJ introduced them. They all looked him over.

"Johnny," Luke nodded coolly. "I'm Luke Maher. I take it you've already met my little sis, Gracie?"

Johnny smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she's been playing tour guide for me today. Her and AJ."

Luke was 17. He was around 6 feet 3 with spiky jet black hair and a pierced lip. He was definitely the leader of this little group, which AJ later explained was named The Cliffhangers.

"Hey Johnny, I'm Harrison Whitney, but people just call me Whit," Whitney waved from across the table. "So how do you like our little school?" He asked, smoothing his long brown hair.

"It's better than my last," Johnny replied, with a shrug. "So far."

"Cooly," Gracie winked. She growled at her brother as he attempted to pinch some of her fries. "Oi!" Luke rolled his eyes and dropped the handful of fries.

"Eww, you can finish them now," she sighed, pushing the plate away. Luke laughed and pulled the plate towards him.

"Yess," He said. "So you're 15, newbie?"

"Yeah."

"AJ and MJ. Goes well don't you think?" He grinned, looking over at AJ, who was blushing once again. "What kinda stuff you in to, man?"

"Well, music wise I'm in to the old stuff. You know, Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Skynyrd..." Johnny replied, pausing for a moment to take a bite of his lunch. "And I like basketball, football, playing the drums, oh and I'm a huge Simpsons nut."

"Cooly," Luke nodded. "I don't like Led Zeppelin myself. But Sabbath, whoa man. Wicked. I think you're going to fit in with this crowd just fine."

"Good to know," he nodded.

"So you play the drums? Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Gracie exclaimed. "You can try out for AJ's band tonight."

"She means, if you'd like to, you're welcome to," AJ smiled. "No pressure."

"No, I'd love to. 68 you say?" He checked.

"Yep."

"I'll be there at 4. Unless you guys wanted to hang at my place? It's empty most of the time, until around 9," MJ suggested. "My aunt is a work-a-holic."

"Maybe some other time," AJ told him. "The Cliffs' were gonna go to the mall tomorrow after school. We're all dying to get the new Thin Lizzy compilation. Wanna come?"

"Yeah, that'd be cool," He agreed. "I needed to go in to the games shop anyway. I need to get a new PS2 game. I've finished all my others."

"So is your place empty on the weekends?" Luke wondered.

"Yep. Aunt Jolene is always out. If she's not working, she's organising donation drives and bake sales," he said, laughing. The bell rang, and the group started gathering up their stuff. "Okay, so where to now?"

"Follow me," Gracie told him, standing up. "Later guys."

"I'm not going to see you again today, but you'll come by at four, right?" AJ checked. Johnny nodded and waved as Gracie pulled him off.


	2. Audition

Okay, this part is not one of my best pieces of work. But the story is gonna get a lot better, fast! Promise!

-

Johnny O'Neill dropped his backpack on to the hall floor, locked the door and then kicked off his shoes. He sighed, and looked around again. This was his home now. And what a home it was. But it was empty.

The Air Force had given him a brand new life, and lots of money. Well, enough to take care of himself at least. They had set him up with a beautiful 4 bedroomed home, with 3 bathrooms including an en-suite to his bedroom, a large kitchen, conservatory, a lovely dining room and an office. It was worth some money, this place.

He smiled for a moment, realising that his main self must have pulled some strings to get him a good new life.

He had to admit, Colonel Jack O'Neill had done a good thing. When he had found out that the Asgard Loki had made a clone of him, he was pissed. Then, when he had found out that that clone was only 15 and was going to die, he was extra pissed.

He had the choice, he could have let Johnny die. But he didn't. He asked his old friend Thor if there was any way to save him. And Thor had done it.

Johnny O'Neill would age at a normal human rate.

He was stuck being a teenager, again.

He picked up the junk mail and headed for the kitchen to fix himself a snack. Rifling through the fully stocked fridge, he took out a soda and some butter and cheese. He then searched the large kitchen for the bread bin. He was absolutely starved.

He sat down in the living room and flicked on the tv. He found The Simpsons was just starting, so he sat and watched that while he ate, and then he went upstairs to take a quick shower and change in to clean clothes. By the time he had done all of this, it was time to go and meet AJ.

Johnny was on his way out, clad in a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and jeans, when one of his photos caught his attention. He paused, and stared at it for a moment. Samantha Carter, the woman he loved.

He wondered if he'd be able to move on from her.

His watch beeped, reminding him to go to AJ's, and he shook his head, and then put on his trainers.

Two minutes later he found himself walking up the drive of Abby....What was her last name? She was only a few doors down from him. He knocked on the door and looked around. The front garden was beautiful, someone obviously did a lot of work on it. It was a massive house, almost mansion like, a lot bigger than his own.

He was about to knock again when the door opened. Abby grinned and ushered him inside. He immidiately took his shoes off, so that he didn't get mud on their wooden floor, and followed her in to the lounge. She looked amazing, he noticed. She had her hair down and she was wearing a small black top and hipsters, leaving her stomach revealed.

They went through in to her living room, which was decorated in a very modern style. He sniffed, and smiled. It smelt like insence, she obviously liked that stuff too. Carter always...Carter had always had some burning at her place.

"Would you like a drink?" She asked from the kitchen, as she poured herself some pink lemonade. "We have lemonade – the pink kind."

"No thanks, I'm good," he called back, as he stared up at the portrait hanging over the fireplace. He guessed it was probably of her parents.

"Okay. Well not everyone is here yet. My sisters drum kit is in the out house, so we'll try you on that," she explained, trekking back in to the lounge and crashing on to the couch. She patted the seat beside her, and he smiled and sat.

"I don't think you told me your last name," he told her, sitting back.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's Everett-Roper," she said, before taking another sip of pink lemonade. "Don't let me have any more of this stuff, it's addictive."

"Abby-Joanne Everett-Roper?" He blinked.

"Bit of a mouthful isn't it?" She laughed.

"Yeh, just a bit," she nodded. "So...Johnny...tell me more about yourself."

"Not much to tell. Grew up in Canada, parents died a few months back in a car crash, miss them like mad. Live with my aunt Jolene here," Johnny knew he'd just repeated what he'd told The Cliffhangers earlier, but she seemed to accept that he didn't want to talk about it. "What's the band called anyways?"

"We started out as Dazed and Confused, as in Led Zep, but we decided it was a crappy name for a band," she laughed, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. The rest was tied up, but because of the layers in her style, she couldn't tie these strands back.

"I don't know..." he shrugged. "So who are you now?"

"Circling the Drain. Lame huh? CTD for short." There was a knock at the door, and Abby rose and left him in the lounge. She returned seconds later with three people in tow. "MJ O'Neill, this is my band. Bridget, on the keyboards..."

Bridget, a chubby brunette, nodded shyly to him and he gave her his best smile. "Nice to meet ya, Bridget." He felt sorry for her, she obviously didn't have much self confidence. She was quite pretty, but probably got teased anyway.

"Kodie, my bass player," Abby continued, nodding towards the blue haired punk in the corner. "And finally Shannon, our multi-purpose player. She plays the flute and guitars, and she sings some of the tracks."

"I'm the only guy, huh?" Johnny said, standing up. "This is great. So...shall we get started ladies?"

Shannon led the way through to the outhouse. Abby stopped to pick up her lemonade from the table, and Johnny found himself watching her. She blushed, as she saw him, and then grabbed his arm and pulled him through the kitchen, out in to the garden and through to the outhouse. He wished he'd kept his shoes on, as his feet met the path.

The Outhouse was a really cool shed. There were beautiful materials covering the walls, cushions and seats in the corner and a mini fridge. The instruments were all set up ready – obviously they all kept their stuff here. Makes sense, he thought. Abby's parents were in to the band, but the others' parents might not have been.

He sat down at the drum kit, nervously.

-

At 5:57pm, the group emerged from the shed, and made their way back through the house. Shannon was the first to depart, telling them that she had homework piling up. The rest of them chilled in the living room for a while. Next to leave was Bridget, and then, finally, Kodie.

"I had better be going, AJ. My Aunt will be home early tonight and she'll be wanting to know how my first day went," Johnny told her. "Thank you for inviting me over. I had fun."

"Me too, it was nice to have you here," she winked, walking him out. He sat down on the bottom stair and put his sneakers back on. "You're in, by the way."

"Great. Well, I'll see you tomorrow?" Johnny headed for the door.

"Yeah, definitely."

"Bye then."

"Bye...oh, wait!" She said, pulling a business card out of her pocket. Amelia Everett-Roper, PhD. He frowned, wondering why she had given him this, and then he saw the phone number at the bottom. "That's my number."

"Cooly," he grinned. "I'd give you mine but I haven't learnt it yet. But my email is ."

"Fruit Loop 15?" She laughed. He nodded, and then there was silence. "Well...bye. I'll, uh, I'll email you later. Mine is ."

Johnny grinned to himself as he walked home. He liked Abby, she was one of the sweetest people he had ever met. But then he thought about Gracie, and how she reminded him of Carter.

He was lost in thought when he heard a yelp and saw Cassandra Frasier lay on the floor. He gasped and helped her up. "Oh god, I'm so sorry...I was off on another world or something." Okay, this was not a good situation to be in. Cassandra, an 18 year old alien that Colonel O'Neill had rescued, was looking right at him.

"It's okay," she assured him, brushing the dirt from her clothes. "I just grazed my leg. You know...you look really familiar. Do I know you?"

"I don't think so..." he mumbled, "I'm new."

"Oh you're the new guy," she realised, extending her hand. He shook it. "Welcome to Colorado Springs."

"Thanks. Umm, I'm really sorry about knocking you over, but I...I gotta go. Will you be able to walk home...you didn't hurt your leg or anything?" He checked, knowing he should really get going before she realised. He'd shown her pictures of himself at her age, lots. Big mistake. She had seen the original Jack O'Neill age 15. And he looked exactly like him.

"I'm okay...I think. I live a long way from here, I was just on my way to see a friend. My mom is a Doctor so she can fix my knee up. Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault," she patted him on the shoulder, reassuring him that she was fine and that he shouldn't worry about it, and then walked off. "See you in school," she called, over her shoulder.

He found himself jogging home, getting excited about the e-mail Abby said she would send him. He frowned. He was getting excited about a 15-year-old girl. It was kind of scary.

'I am 15,' he told himself. 'I have a lot more experience than most 15 year olds, but I am 15. Physically I am 15. It's okay to like Abby. And besides, I've always been 15 at heart, even when I was 45.'

'Maybe I'll be all right after all,' he told himself, as he reached the porch. 'I have new friends and a chance to live my life over. No saving the world, no intergalactic wars. Just homework, friends, and hormones. That, I can handle.'


	3. Shopping

MJ O'Neill sat up in his uber comfy kingsize bed, and stretched.

Yawning, he got up and put on his slippers and dressing gown, and headed down the stairs to make himself some pancakes for breakfast. He glanced at the clock in the hall, and growled. He'd overslept by two hours and he had a full day ahead of him shopping and then meeting Abby-Joanne and Gracie for a drink at the Smoothie Shack in the mall at 2.

He decided he didn't have time for pancakes, so he took a box of fruit loops from the cupboard. Once he'd finished his breakfast and his cup of coffee, he got showered and dressed, and then checked his e-mail.

"2 new emails. Cooly," He clicked in to his inbox and saw that the first message was from Abby and the second was from Circling The Drain's blue haired bass player, Kodence McKenna, aka Kodie. They had only met twice, but she was one cool chick, and they'd exchanged e-mails the previous day.

He'd made quite a few friends in only a week, and he'd joined Abby's band as the drummer. He was popular in school and hung out with a group called The Cliffhangers.

He wasn't over Sam Carter yet but he found himself rather attracted to Abby Everett-Roper, also known as AJ. There was one problem though, he was also attracted to her best friend Gracie, who happened to remind him of Sam. "So what does Abby have to say then?"

_Mj,_

_Cant wait to c u later the mall it will b cooly. I enjoyed spendin time with you last nite we all did._

_I'm so glad u r my new drummer I was really stressin over who it would b. Nearly had to hire my sis and that wouldn't have been gud!!!_

_U were talkin bout getting a dog y don't you let me come with u and we can find 1 after mall. We can ditch Gracie after she wont mind and go off by ourselves. What do ya think?_

_-AJ_

"_We're all in the gutter, some of us look at the stars."_

He grinned to himself and hit the reply button. He said that he'd love to go dog hunting later. He read the message from Kodie, and sent a longish answer to her e-mail, and then logged off.

He put on his jacket, locked up and then started the journey to town. It was half an hours walk, which was no problem for someone as fit as Johnny.

He arrived at the mall at 11:30. Looking around, he decided his first stop would be the coffee shop.

While he was drinking, he made a mental list of what he needed to get:

1x Dog for company

1x Guns N Roses greatest hits

5x Candles (incase I actually get a chick at my place)

1x Simpsons Season 4 DVD Box Set

4x Lounge Cushions to match sofa

4x Sets of Bed Linen for bedrooms

3x Sets of blue towels for bathrooms

Plus anything you see in Home Furnishings that takes your fancy.

His house was kind of empty at the moment, lacking anything really personal. He had done his best to make it more homelike, but it still seemed cold.

He had decided the night before that he would get a dog for company. And he would call it Homer.

And that he would go on a shopping spree and buy some clutter. Books, CDs, vases, paintings, that kind of stuff.

And here he was.

* * *

Abby and Gracie were talking about the new boy when they saw him coming their way. "Speak of the devil," AJ grinned, standing up and jogging up to him. 

"Hey MJ, let me give you a hand," she told him, grabbing a couple of his shopping bags. "Sit down, put those under the table," she said.

He had been struggling along with eight shopping bags. He wondered how his ex-wife...rather, the original Jack's ex-wife had used to manage.

He followed her instructions and shoved them under the table, and then he sat down between the girls. "Am I late?"

"Nope, we were early," Gracie replied, slurping on her strawberry and banana smoothie.

"Gracie couldn't wait to get hers. But I was polite and I waited until you got here," Abby said. "So, what would you like? I'll go order."

"Uhh, I'll have what you're having please," he replied, taking some small cash from his pocket and handing it to her. She nodded, and went off to the counter to order. Gracie grinned at him.

"So...what you been doing?" He asked.

"Not much. I slept over at Cassandra Frasier's last night. She was quite taken with you," The blonde replied. "Says you were really sweet."

"Oh..." Cassy having a crush on him was so...weird. "Thought she had a guy...Tim?"

"That was ages ago," AJ said as she delivered his smoothie. She sat back down and made a start on hers. "She's dating Will at the mo. Won't last long though he is such a jerk. Why?"

"Oh Cassy is totally crushing on MJ," Gracie replied.

Johnny noticed AJ's face fall. "She seemed nice, but she's a cheerleader. And she's 18, and, I have my eye on someone else."

"No one ever turned down Cassandra Frasier, bloody hell boy!" Gracie exclaimed, almost choking on her drink. "I think he must be crazy." There was a pause while they all worked on their smoothies and then she asked, "What did you buy?"

"Oh...new bed linen. Aunt Jolene had given me some money and a list of things to get. Some towels, some vases and stuff. You know, homey stuff. Boring," he said, rolling his eyes. "But she did give me $30 for myself."

"How come she sent you?" Abby frowned.

"Because she's working. She works weekends a lot - never see her. Fine with me though, you know. I have lots of space," He lied. "She says she's at work, but I think she might actually be meeting a secret boyfriend or something.

"Eww...old people dating!" Gracie exclaimed.

Around 3, Abby and Johnny went off in search of a friend for him. "You know, I used to have a labrador. Best kind. Cutest."

"I like Jack Russels myself," he said, with a grin, "You remember that kids show...Wishbone? I used to love that. He was dressed up in these little doggie outfits acting out things like Huckleberry Finn."

"Oh yes my little sis used to watch it," She laughed. "He was cute. Plus, Eddie from Frasier."

"Oh yeah! That's it, I'm getting a Jack Russell," he decided. "So, AJ..." He began.

"Yeah?"

"Uhh, I was wondering, if you'd like to...uhh...I was thinking..." He stuttered. "Maybe you would like to see a movie with me?"

Her face lit up, and she nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I'd love to. I was waiting for you to ask me all week. I was kind of worried that you'd like Cassandra or Gracie better. They are much better looking than me."

"I wouldn't say that," he said, stopping and turning to face her. He took her hand and smiled. "I think you're really special. That first day on the steps, I thought, wow. What a girl."

"Really?"

"Really," He nodded. "Hows tomorrow?"

"Umm..." she paused, trying to think. Her mind was still processing the fact that he'd actually asked her out. 'Oh. My. God.' "Yes. Yes," She finally replied. "Tomorrow is fine. We can check the times on the way back."

"Cooly. And you can pick the film. I'm not one of those jerks that wants to go see an action movie. Well, not unless you want to," he said as they started walking again.

"I'm sure we'll find something," she winked, keeping hold of his hand as they walked. "So what are you going to call your ," She nodded. "Mine was called Noodle. Don't ask me where that came from. My sister is a freaaaak."

MJ laughed, "What's your sisters name?"

"Piper Marie Jessica Rose Everett-Roper," Abby recited. "It's longer than mine! See, my Dad wanted her middle name to be Rose after his mother, and Mom wanted her middle name to be Marie, after her mother. Jessica was her mother's first name. And Piper was just one that they actually liked!"

"Piper Roper? Ooookay," MJ grinned. "Poor thing. You got the better names."

"Yep," she agreed. "Thank God."

The next day, MJ walked up Abby's drive and knocked on the door. Her sister answered, "Hi, you must be Piper," he smiled. She was an odd looking thing, gawky and way too thin for his liking. She was dressed in a pink shirt and a mini skirt of the same colour.

She nodded, waved him inside, shut the door and then disappeared. He heard her yell "ABBY! YOUR BOYFRIEND IS HERE!" as she went up the stairs.

He walked up and down the hall uncomfortably, as he waited for Abby. From the noise upstairs he could tell she was agonising over what to wear. He could hear the wardrobes being opened and closed every few seconds.

After a few minutes, she finally came down the stairs. Her hair was up, and she was wearing some make-up. She was wearing a denim skirt which flowed down to her knees, and a white and blue cheese cloth top, with sandals. "WOW!"

"Thanks," she grinned. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stepped forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I thought we might go see that new Bruce Willis movie?"

"Oh, yeah, I really wanna see that!" He nodded, eagerly. "Shall we get going?"

There was a call from the living room, "Abby, dear!"

"Yes mother?" She called back, with a sigh.

"Bring that young man in here," Her mother told her. Abby shrugged and took MJ's hand, leading him in to the lounge. "Hello, you must be Jonathan?"

"Please, call me Johnny, Jonathan was my Dad," Johnny replied, giving her his best charming look. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Everett-Roper."

"And you," She replied. "You're in Abby's class?"

"Yes, yes, he is," Abby nodded. "Mom, can we go now? We're going to miss the movie and if we do, we'll have to wait a two hours for the next showing!" She was lying.

"All right, dear," Her mother nodded. "Have fun. Nice to meet you, Johnny."

Once they were out of the door, Abby laughed. "I'm so sorry for that!"

"For what? She just wanted to meet me," Johnny replied. "She seemed nice. I bet you you'll never, ever meet my Aunt Jo."

"Come on," She grinned, pulling him down the drive. "We're going to be late if we don't get going."

"Then let's go," He said, nervously. 'Don't. Screw. Up. O'Neill.'

* * *

Sorry folks, it's still a little dull I know...but I have this big plan, and it will take some ground work. Please come back – and it's true, feedback really does make you write faster! 


	4. The Gig

MJ was woken up at 4am with the sound of his Jack Russell – Homer - barking. He'd spent several hours searching for the perfect dog with AJ. It had been at the local pound that he'd found the perfect companion, a one-year-old Jack Russell formerly named Rover. He'd had the dog for three weeks now.

He growled and went downstairs, finding the dog in the conservatory. The next-door neighbour's cat was sat on top of the glass roof, staring down at poor Homer.

"Oh Whisky, you're such a mean cat," He said as he grabbed a broom and tapped gently on the roof. It was enough to get the cat to move. Once she was gone, he led his dog into the utility room, and locked the conservatory. "Stay in here, Homer," he ordered in the tone he used to use when speaking to his troops. That did the trick. "Night," he said, patting him on the head and then closing the door behind him. "Well...morning, I guess," he added from the lounge, after glancing over at the clock.

When he got upstairs, he headed down the hall straight to his room, and dove in to his extremely comfortable double bed. "Mmmm."

He woke up again 3 hours later, and immediately stretched and then got up. He took a shower and then returned to his room, searching through his wardrobe for a decent outfit. He settled on a pair of black jeans and a Black Sabbath t-shirt. He grinned - AJ loved this shirt. Well, she did kind of like all his tour shirts, but she especially liked this one.

He fed Homer, and then had his breakfast, quickly scanned through the mail, and then cleaned his teeth and brushed his hair. He was ready for 7:30 am exactly. He grabbed his bag and his jacket, locked up the house and then headed to the bus stop, where he found AJ waiting for him, as usual.

"Hey Johnny," She smiled. "Don't you just hate Mondays?"

"Nope," Johnny replied, "I look forward to them."

"Freak," she laughed.

"I look forward to seeing you," he winked. "I wore Sabbath just for you. Anyway, I was, uh, thinking...would you..." He was stuttering now. He had been an Air Force Colonel, and Second In Command of the most important facility in the world, and he couldn't pluck up the courage to ask Abby-Joanne Everett-Roper out. Weird.

"Like to go to the prom?" She finished his sentence. He nodded. "I'd love to." Johnny sighed with relief, and then took hold of her hand. "You've been here for like a month and we've only been on one date, MJ! I was waiting for you to ask again."

"Well, we'll fix that on Friday won't we?" He growled as the bus pulled up. He let go of her hand as they boarded. "So when is CTD's next practise?" He asked as they sat down near the back.

"Tomorrow at your place?" She said, hoping that was okay. She had already told the other CTD band members. CTD stood for Circling the Drain – Abby's rock band.

"That's cool with me," he nodded, putting his arm around her. They were very close friends after only a month. The same was true with he and Gracie, and the rest of The Cliffhangers. But he sure as hell didn't like Luke the same way as he liked AJ. "Hows 5?"

"5 is good," Abby replied. She rolled her eyes as they reached the next stop, and Cassandra Frasier climbed on. She sat in the middle of the bus with the cheerleaders, but looked back at Johnny and smiled.

"Hi, Johnny."

"Hey Cassy," Johnny nodded casually. He then turned his attention back to Abby. "What? She's just being friendly is all."

"Sure."

* * *

"O'NEILL. O'NEILL. O'NEILL," Johnny snapped out of his day dream to find Miss Girardi, the English teacher, staring at him. "Mr O'Neill, glad you could join us. Could you read the next page please?"

He knew he was turning red as he turned the page in his book and began to read.

Once he had finished, Cassandra looked back at him and rolled her eyes at Girardi. The bell rang, and he left the classroom, Cassandra in tow. He turned around and smiled. "Hi, Cassy. What's up?"

"MJ...I was just wondering if you had a date for the dance yet?" She asked hopefully. She could get anyone in the school, but she wanted him. Kinda flattering, but really sick in his mind. He had known her since she was like...11, without her knowing it.

"Actually, I do," He replied uncomfortably, scratching his head. "Maybe next time, right? I asked Abby Roper this morning."

"Oh," Cass nodded, putting on an uber fake smile. "Well, yeh, maybe next time. I think Joe might actually be asking me."

"That's cool, Joe is very nice," he nodded. He felt bad as he walked away, but knew she'd find someone else very easily. He looked miserable as he caught up with Abby. She gave him a 'tell me what happened' look, and he did. "I ran in to Cassy, she wanted me to ask her to the prom."

"She'll find someone by next lesson, I bet you," Abby laughed. "She'll be fine, don't worry. So, are you coming to Chemistry, or what?"

* * *

That night, Johnny's house was invaded by Cliffhangers. By four o'clock, they had all arrived and were sat in his living room.

He and Abby were sat on one couch, with Gracie sprawled over the other. Luke and Whit were on the floor, playing on the PS2, and Alex was in the chair. Johnny's new CD was playing in the background.

"And then I said..."

"Hang on," Johnny told AJ, standing up. "I need another drink. You want anything?" He had stocked up on real lemonade knowing she loved it.

"Uh, maybe a water?" She requested, grinning as Homer padded up to her. "Hey Homey!"

"What, no pink lemonade?" He grinned. She was addicted to that stuff!

"No, if I'm going to the prom I need to get in to a dress," she smiled. "I'll have water...preferably bottled?"

"Yep," He nodded, "It's been in the fridge." He shrugged, and went in to the kitchen. "Oh!" He shouted, "Does anyone else want anything?"

There was a pause, and a discussion, and then Abby replied, "Chips for Luke if you have some."

He was glad he had been to the store the day before. "Coming up," he called, taking a bag of Doritoes from the cupboard. He peered around the lounge door and tossed the bag to Abby. He returned a minute later with a lemonade for himself and a water for Abby. "There we go."

"Thanks." The chips were passed around, and he took a few.

"Ab?" He offered.

"Excuse me a second," AJ said as she stood up. "Which bathroom?"

"Uh, upstairs, main one," he suggested. "My aunt hasn't finished decorating the one down here."

Abby nodded and jogged up the stairs, leaving him to stuff his face with chips. "Oh no, Luke, you're losing," he announced, watching the game. "I can beat Whit in my sleep and he's beating you!"

Pretty soon, the game was over and Luke sighed. "I can't believe you beat me! Re-match!" Abby returned from upstairs and reclaimed her place next to MJ. "Hey Johnny, we decided it's time."

"Time?" Johnny frowned. "Time for what?"

"For you to become an Official Cliffhanger," Gracie exclaimed, almost giggling with excitement. "Cool huh?"

"I thought I was already."

"Not fully," Gracie replied. "So on Saturday, you have to live up to the name and go Cliffhanging."

"Huh?" He was confused. He'd been hanging with this group for a month already.

"We're taking you rock climbing, duh," Abby explained, punching him playfully in the arm.

"Oh, cooly," he nodded, tickling her. "Oh, you're ticklish are you? Good to know. So...why rock climbing? I mean, I love it, but..."

"To celebrate, and just because it's fun," Luke shrugged. "Not afraid of heights, or anything, are you?"

Johnny tried not to snort at that question. He had been to other worlds, and he'd been on spaceships, and battled with the galaxy's scariest. Heights were not a problem for him. Well, he remembered doing all those things. The clone version, namely, him, hadn't done all of those things. Though he had been on a spaceship. But, still, heights – easy.

"Nope."

"Good. Then we'll meet here Saturday at 10," Luke decided. "Whit, prepare to lose. I am going to kick your ass this time."

Whit laughed, "Yeah right." They started playing again, and Gracie got up and searched through the shelf of CDs above the stereo, picking out a modern band. "I haven't heard this yet."

"You can borrow it if you want," Johnny offered. He wasn't that keen on it himself. "So, Gray, who are you going to the dance with?"

"Cooly, thanks. Nobody yet. But rumour is Scott might ask," she shrugged. "I have the perfect dress. It's pink." She grabbed the bag of chips from the arm of the couch and then sat down. "Oh these are addictive."

"Aren't they?" He agreed. "Oh, I think Homer wants his dinner. Back in a sec."

* * *

Johnny and the guys managed to get lifts to the 'Snow Center' where they usually went to rock climb.

He put the rest of The Cliffhangers to shame, when he reached the top of the wall and then abseiled down faster than even Luke.

After the climbing, they went to see a movie, had a coffee in Starbucks and finally finished off the day at the Indoor Ski Slope.

Then, on the drive home, Abby and Johnny started to get nervous. It was their first gig with Johnny, the next day, and he wasn't certain he was ready.

* * *

Jonathan 'MJ' O'Neill arrived at the venue – a very trendy local hang out called Pasdar's – to find quite a crowd gathering. There was a Circling the Drain poster on the door. He nodded to Gracie, who was on the door, handling admission, and she lead him backstage to Abby, leaving Piper Everett-Roper to take over.

"Hey, are you nervous?" Gracie asked, as they walked. She stopped and opened the door. "Okay, here we are. Backstage. You know they have really good professional bands on here, so it's uber cool that you guys are here."

"Yes, quite nervous," he admitted. He ventured inside the room, and Gracie smiled and headed back to her post. Inside the room he found Abby and Kodie applying their make-up. "Hey."

"Hey!" Abby grinned, running over to him and giving him a big hug. "Don't worry! You're going to do fine!"

"I wish I could be that sure," he smiled. "Hi Kodie."

"Johnny," The blue haired girl nodded. Well, actually, her hair was kind of black and blue. Mostly blue. "Bridge and Shannon will be here soon. Are you ready?"

"Actually, I'm gonna change my shirt," He replied. "Where is the bathroom?"

"Change in here," Abby laughed. "It's only your shirt."

"Okay, well you wanna take yours off in here, too?" He grinned. Abby shook her head, grinning, and he took his shirt off and pulled the Flyboy one from his bag. "Okay. So, I am now ready. When do we go on?"

"Fifteen minutes," Kodie said as she put on her choker. "There. Perfect. Anyone want drinks?"

"Sure, can I get a water please?" Abby asked, as she brushed her hair.

Johnny shook his head, and then nodded, "Changed my mind. Lemonade please. Actually, I will grab a sandwich. AJ and I can split it. Cheese and Tomato toastie, right?" He recalled. She nodded.

* * *

"...proud to present a local band who have played here three times already. This time they are back with a new drummer, Mr. MJ O'Neill. Please give a warm welcome to Circling The Drain!" The Manager announced. The band came on stage and he returned to man the counter.

"Hey there," Abby said, with a huge smile. "How you doin? I'd just like to thank you guys for bugging them to get us back again, and I'd like to welcome MJ. This is his first gig, so don't screw up, O'Neill." she winked. "Okay, this is the first song we ever wrote. This is Troubled."


	5. The News

"Mr O'Neill!" Miss Girardi smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me my grade please? I'm really stressing over it!" Johnny asked, looking at the pile of papers infront of her. His was on the top of the unmarked pile. He'd worked hard on this assignment, but he was sure he'd failed. He never was any good with Shakespeare.

"Okay. Have a seat, I'll mark it now," she agreed, motioning to his desk in the front row. He nodded and sat down, taking a folder out of his bag and making a start on his homework. A few minutes later, she stood up and handed the paper to him. "Very good."

"Really?" He frowned.

"B."

"Yes! Thanks," he exclaimed, putting his stuff away. He stood up and headed for the door.

"No problem. Tell your girlfriend I want to see her about hers at some point. She didn't do quite so well," The teacher said, taking the next paper from the pile and starting to mark it.

"Abby? We're not really..." He paused. "Yeah, I'll tell her...what did she get?"

"I can't tell you. Sorry."

"Okay. Thanks Miss," He said.

"You're trying out for the basketball team tomorrow?" Girardi asked. She seemed to know everything.

"Yep."

"Good luck, Mr O'Neill," she said warmly. Johnny left the classroom and turned the corner, headed for the library. He saw Abby talking to another guy, a little further down the hall. He watched from a distance.

His relationship with Abby They had been on a couple of dates, but they weren't going out. He had planned to ask her that weekend, but, it looked like someone had beaten him to it.

Once the guy was gone, MJ jogged up to her, "Hey AJ."

"Johnny, hey," She smiled. "How did you do on your test?"

"B plus," he replied. "Girardi wants to talk to you, I don't think you did so well. Sorry."

"It's okay, I didn't really put much effort in to it," she shrugged. "Are you okay?"

"Who was that guy?" He wondered, smoothing back his brown-blond hair. It was one of several habits he had.

"Shawn. My ex," AJ replied casually, as they walked along. "His parents throw these massive parties, and he's expected to bring a girl."

"So he asked you?" Johnny's face dropped.

"Yeah, we go to about six a year," She nodded. "So, are you still thinking of joining the basketball team?"

"Yep," he nodded. "I'm headed for jock land."

"No!" She exclaimed, laughing. "Let's forget the library. We should go to the mall instead."

"Okay."

* * *

While they were at the mall, Abby decided it was time they talked about their relationship. She treated him to a smoothie – he'd tried to pay, but she'd insisted, and then they'd sat down in the booth in the corner. "MJ, listen, I think we need to talk."

"Sure, what about?" He asked as he slurped his smoothie. "Mmm."

"Us," she said simply, sitting back in her seat.

"Oh," he nodded, nearly choking on his smoothie. He sensed that this wasn't good. "What about us?"

"Well, you know I was talking to Shawn, and...he wants us to try again. But I said I needed to talk to you. I mean, I feel really, really close to you. You are a really great friend, and I enjoyed going out with you and everything. But I think I need to be with Shawn, give it another go," She told him, with a sigh. "I'm really sorry. I hope we can still be friends though?"

Johnny looked down at the table, and then nodded. "Yeah, best friends. That won't change."

"Good," She smiled. "Thank you for being so cool."

"Just the way I am," he shrugged. "I think I'm gonna go home. Are you okay to walk home by yourself?"

"Yeah, sure," she replied, sadly. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Bye."

* * *

The next day, Johnny was accepted on to the basketball team. He was very happy, and, it had taken his mind off of Abby.

Gracie Maher, his second best friend, was there to congratulate him. She jogged up and flung her arms around him. "Hey, you made it!" She squealed. He pulled back, and squinted. She realised her long blonde hair had made contact with his eye, and tied it in to a very neat bun. "So sorry!"

"S'ok. Yep," he sighed. "I made it."

"I'm sorry about AJ," Gracie told him, "I think she made a mistake. You're such a lot cooler than Shawn."

"Thanks," he said, a hand still placed on her arm. "Want to hang at my place tonight? There's a great movie on at 7."

"Sure thing. I'll bring the chips," She nodded eagerly. "See you at about 6?"

That week the pair spent several nights hanging out at his place, listening to music or watching movies. Johnny was soon forgetting all about his old life at the SGC. Occasionally he'd wonder what Sam was doing, what the Other Him was doing, and how many times Teal'C had watched Star Wars now. (The count went up almost daily.) But most of the time, Abby, Gracie, school or the band occupied his thoughts.

The team's first basketball game was a week later and they won it easily. Johnny was becoming the 'hotness of hot' around the school, one of the most popular people there. Everyone had been congratulating him all week, and he had to say, it was nice. Everyone was always talking about him, patting him on the back. All the girls were asking him out, or wanting to. Everyone was amazed at how warm and how modest he was.

The game after that was going to be a tough one though, and everyone knew it. Widow's Vale High School were an awesome team, and extremely hard to beat.

The night before the game, Circling the Drain had a rehearsal at AJ's house. It was a little akward between AJ and MJ, but they were doing all right. Gracie tagged along with them, deciding she had nothing better to do.

"I don't think Perfect is...well...perfect..." Johnny commented, as he took a sip of his soda during their break. "Sorry AJ, but...it isn't ready to be played. I know we were hoping it would be ready by the Shea's gig, but it isn't."

Gracie was sat on the couch in the far corner of the room, watching silently. She nodded in agreement.

There was a pause, and the other band members made sure they didn't look at Abby. They were expecting her to blow at any second, and they didn't want to be caught in the explosion. To their surprise, she agreed. "You're right. It needs some changes made. How about we go with Because I Love You?"

"I don't know...." He began, scratching his head.

"What's Because I Love You?" Gracie piped up, frowning.

"Johnny wrote it," Abby explained, taking a seat on her favourite beanbag chair. "It's really good, he sang it to me the other day."

"You can sing and write, too? Talk about multi talented," Kodie laughed. She turned to Abby, and added, "If you're with Shawn, can I have him? He's freakin perfect."

He looked down at the floor, slightly embarrased, and then scratched his head again. "Uhh...I don't know about Because. I mean, the gig isn't that far away...and plus, I kind of just wrote it, for me. I never expected it to be a band song. It's very personal."

"I know it's a personal song, MJ, but it's also a beautiful one. And we're still friends, right?" She said quietly. "I know it's about us..."

"Actually," he began. How could he put this delicately? Sorry, AJ, but I didn't write this love song about you. It's about a woman I spent seven years lusting after. "It's about Sam."

"Sam?"

"Yeah...a girl...from back home..." he nodded, feeling really lousy all of a ," Abby nodded, forcing herself to smile. "I shouldn't have assumed...I mean, you've not been here long. Listen, I think it's wonderful, but if you don't want us to play it, we don't have to. Its your call."

"Okay. Why don't we try it?" He agreed, after taking a minute to think. "We'll try it. But if there's someone who doesn't like it – which is cool with me – then we'll play Kodie's new one. Deal?"

"Deal."

* * *

Cassandra Frasier gasped and ran over to the body lying in the road. She pushed through the crowd, which included the driver that had run him over, and knelt down beside him. "Oh my god!" She scanned the crowd, and picked out her friend Paige. "Paige, go get my mom, now!"

* * *

"ABBY!" Gracie yelled for the zillionth time, as she ran down the hall towards her friend. "ABBY!"

"What?" AJ asked, checking her make up in the small mirror, before closing her locker. She turned to face her friend.

Gracie's eyes were an angry red, and she looked as white as a sheet. "Oh God, Ab..."

"What? What is it?"

"It's...MJ. He was run over on his way to school," she replied grimly. "I wondered why he wasn't here, I just thought he was sick. But Cassandra just called me on my cell during break. She'd found him, and her Mom is a Doctor...she stayed with him as they took him to the hospital and stuff."

"No..." Abby cried, "no."

"The worst thing is...I don't know where he is," She sniffed. "Her mother is a army doctor. He's probably at an army hospital. I'm not sure we'll be able to see him. She said she couldn't tell me."

"Okay, let's get out of here," Abby decided, picking her messenger bag off of the floor. "We'll call Cassy and see if she can tell us where he is...or at least how he's doing."

* * *

Jack O'Neill looked up and watched as his second in command, Major Sam Carter, entered the Briefing Room. "Carter, what are you doing here?" He asked, before the General had even noticed her.

Carter nodded to O'Neill and the General. "Excuse me, sirs. I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Duplicate of Colonel O'Neill was hit by a car today," she explained. "He's in the infirmary. Doctor Frasier thought it was best that he was brought here."

"I see," Hammond said. "Colonel, you're dismissed. We can finish this meeting later."

"Thanks sir," O'Neill said as he stood. He saluted casually, and then followed Carter out of the room. "How am I?"

"Your clone is in severe condition," She replied with a small sigh. "Cassandra found him on her way to school this morning. She fetched Janet and they brought him here."

"Is he going to die?" He asked, as they entered the elevator. The doors closed and he pressed the button.

"We're not sure yet, sir," She admitted. "I'm sorry."

"Hmm...how come you knew before me?" He frowned. "How are you doing?"

"Better, thanks," she nodded. "Much better. I was just getting my wound checked again. And I had some light bleeding, so..."

"Is it all nasty?"

"It's not nice. But it's not too bad," she shrugged. The elevator stopped and two SFs got in. "Nothing I can't handle."

"How is Cassandra holding up? Finding me splattered all over the road can't be nice..." He asked, causing the soldiers to look at him oddly. "Oh come on, you've heard weirder in this place."

The soldiers nodded, and shrugged, then turned back to face the front of the elevator.

"I think she's okay. She hasn't figured out that he's your double. Apparently, she thinks he's a normal 15 year old. A very cute one," Sam smiled. "So she's just worried about him."

"Ah..." He sighed, scratching his head. "This is going to be very strange."

"It is," Sam agreed. The two SFs moved out of the way as the lift doors opened. Carter and O'Neill walked out on to the Infirmary level and continued down the hall. As they reached the threshold of the infirmary, they could hear Janet yelling orders to her staff, as they ran around the infirmary, fetching things.

"This does not look good..."


	6. Healer

"Report, Doctor?" Hammond asked, as he, the SGC's Chief Medical Officer, her adopted daughter, Cassandra, and all four members of their flagship unit, SG-1, sat around the Briefing Room table.

The General didn't usually let non-SGC personnel sit in on briefings, but Cassandra was a special case. She was, after all, an alien, who'd been rescued from the planet Hanka when she was 11 years old, by the then Captain Samantha Carter, after her people had been wiped out by an evil Goa'uld called Nirrti. Plus, it was one of her friends in critical condition, and he knew she needed some answers too.

"Cassandra," Janet began, turning to her daughter first. "There are some things that you need to know, first, before we begin. And they're going to be very strange things to accept."

"What?" Cass frowned. "How bad can it be, mom? Is he an alien?" She laughed. When there was silence, her jaw dropped. "He's an alien?"

"No..." Jack spoke up, trying to find the best way to tell her this. "Johnny, is it?"

"Yes, but we call him MJ," Cassandra confirmed, sitting back in her chair. "I had started to wonder how he'd be allowed to be brought here. With security and all."

"You see, Cass," Jack started again. "A couple of months ago, an Asgard named Loki kidnapped me, and made a clone of me."

"Johnny is a clone?" The girl said, confused. "But he looks nothing like you. Aren't clones meant to be like exact copies?"

"The thing is, honey, the clone didn't mature properly. This 15-year-old boy showed up for work one day, with Jack's pass. He proved that he was Colonel O'Neill, and we thought at first that he had been turned in to a kid. But we later discovered that the Asgard Loki kidnapped our Jack and made a clone. He sent the clone back, so that we wouldn't know the real Jack was missing. The clone didn't mature properly, and so we obviously noticed something was wrong. He was going to die. They didn't want the clone to survive, or, rather, there was no need for him to. Long story short, we got the original Jack back," The Major responded. She saw Jack grin at the use of his first name – usually it was Colonel or Sir. Never Jack, unless Cassandra was around. They all went by first names with her, even the General. This situation called for a little more authority for the General, but not for Jack.

"Are you saying my friend is dying?" Cassandra asked, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't believe the guy I've been crushing over is you, Jack. And I can't believe he's dying."

"No, no," Janet piped up. "Jack was very angry when he found out that the clone was going to die, and so, he decided that he wanted Johnny to live. He called Thor and Thor managed to fix him. He's not dying. Not from being a clone, anyway. He's a normal teenage boy, but with the memories of a 47-year-old Colonel."

"And he's in high school, dating a 15-year-old girl?" Cassandra exclaimed, looking at Jack disgustedly. "That is sooooooooo creepy."

"Kinda..." Jack nodded, scratching his head. "I know."

"Was dating," she corrected herself. "They broke up. I felt sorry for him, but now I'm kind of glad. Shawn may be a complete ass, but he's only 17 not 47. Poor Abby...Wait...why did they kidnap Jack? I thought they were our allies?"

"They are," Jack smiled. "Thor is great. We like Thor. It's just this one Asgard, Loki, he thought I was an advanced human. The next step in evolution or something...he thought I was the key to solving their problems. The Asgard clone, they don't have kids like we do. He thought I could be the answer to their problems."

"And were you?"

"No," he sighed. "Now that you know the highlights of the story, we should really move on with the briefing. Okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "How is he doing?"

"He suffered some major injuries," Janet replied, switching from mom-mode to doctor-mode. "We had to operate. There was some internal bleeding, and..."Cassy didn't hear any more.

"Oh God," Cassandra gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Poor Johnny...will he be okay?"

"I think so," Janet replied, placing a hand on her daughter's arm. "I hope so. But Cassandra, you have to prepare yourself for the worst. I'm so sorry, honey. I'm so sorry, Jack. But you both know my staff are the best in the world."

"I have complete faith in you," Jack told her, nodding. Cassandra seemed to cheer up after he'd said this. If Jack thought he'd be okay, then maybe he would.

They noticed that Sam was looking down at her lap, obviously lost in thought. It was strange – she was usually very active in briefings. "Sam, are you okay?" Jack asked, putting a gentle hand on her upper arm. "Sam?"

"I'm fine, sir," she nodded. "It's just very strange."

"You tell me," He smiled. "I know it is."

The General coughed, and all eyes focused on him. "Doctor Jackson, Teal'c, perhaps you should take Cassandra to get some food? I expect she's very hungry," he suggested. Daniel and Teal'c nodded, and stood up, as did Cassandra.

Once they were alone, the General looked to Janet. "Doctor, what are the boy's chances?" The boy. He'd decided at the start of this, the clone deserved to be called Johnny, kid, son, boy, whatever. So long as it wasn't clone. He was a real person, with feelings. He was Jack O'Neill, in a younger body. He was a person that the General greatly admired, and he deserved their respect. He knew that they had all thought the same.

"Fifty fifty," she replied grimly. "I didn't want to say that infront of Cassy."

"Oh god," Jack sighed, leaning on the table. "Is there nothing we can do to give him a better chance?"

Janet coughed, and looked over at Sam. The Major stared down at her lap, knowing what was about to be suggested. All eyes turned to her. She leaned forward, elbows on the table, and buried her face in her hands.

To her surprise, she felt a hand on her back. When she sat back in her chair, she looked over at O'Neill. His expression was calm, and kind. "Carter, don't worry. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I could order you, if I was a bastard, but I would never do that. I care about your happiness, and your wellbeing. And I know how messed up you feel afterward. I know how miserable it makes you, and I don't want you to do it for that reason. I won't put you through it. Don't worry."

She closed her eyes for a minute, thinking, and then opened them again. "I do hate using Goa'uld technology, but in certain situations it is unavoidable," She paused. "However it is the ribbon device I have the most trouble with. When I use it, it's terrifying. It's really, really, terrifying. The last time I used it, when I took out those Jaffa, I was such a mess. Because there was a part of me that _wanted _to kill twelve people."

"Twelve _Jaffa_, Carter, there's a big difference," O'Neill pointed out. "Twelve Jaffa that would have been more than happy to kill _you_, I might add."

"They're still living things. I wanted to kill them, and that scares me more than anything. There is evil inside me," she said. All color had drained from her face, and she looked ill and troubled. He reminded himself to make sure she got extra rest this week, the last mission had been a tough one, and she'd sustained some pretty bad injuries herself.

"You were a wreck after the last time, an emotional wreck. And I remember the nine hours I spent at your house trying to convince you that you were a good person, and not, infact, an evil bitch who deserved to die," he said, shaking his head at the memory that he'd tried to erase from his mind. "And that's why I didn't bring it up."

"That's the ribbon device. The healing device _heals_. Not kills. But it still scares me, and I still hate having to use it," she said, tapping her fingers on the table. "But I am prepared to use it to heal...Johnathan. I'm not prepared to let him die because I'm slightly uncomfortable with my ability to heal. That's unacceptable, and frankly, I'm surprised that you don't want me to try, sir. I do appreciate your concern though, a lot."

"You are my officer, Sam, you're my second in command, and my friend. You're already injured and drained, I can tell by looking at you. You are my priority. Johnny is important to me also, in a very blurry, strange way. But it's you that comes first," He told her, patting her hand. "You're part of my team."

"Thank you sir," Sam smiled. "I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" He asked, smiling, but also giving her a worried look. She knew that he was asking her if she was up to it, and telling her she could back out.

"Yes," she nodded. "I'm sure."

Cassandra Frasier took a sip of her coffee, set it down on the bedside cabinet and then sat back in her plastic chair. She stared at the figure lying in the bed and sighed. He was battered and bruised, and she wondered if he really would be okay.

"Johnny," she whispered. "Johnny, it's Cassy. I really hope you pull through. You can't do this to Abby. Think about Abby, she'll have to live with the guilt for the rest of her life, wishing she'd treated you better, even that she'd just got to say goodbye. You can't leave her, or Gracie, or me. You've got to get better, you hear me?" There was no reply, and she took his hand in hers. "You...the original Jack...he saved my life. And you're him, so, you saved my life too. You remember saving me, you remember every birthday for the last seven years. You remember giving me a dog, and building me a tree house when I was twelve. And picking me up from school all those times and, and taking care of me those two days when I was sick and mom was working. During your leave, and you chose to take care of me and miss part of your fishing trip. And, that time when you took me to the theme park, and I was so amazed at everything. It was incredible. And we stayed and watched the fireworks! I remember all these things, and so do you. You're such a good person, and I can't lose you. Two Jack O'Neill's is a blessing. And I want you both!" She sighed. "I'm rambling now. But the silence needs filling, don't you think?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up. "Hey Sam," she smiled feintly. "I guess you heard all that?"

"Some of it," Carter nodded, sitting down beside the girl. "Don't worry, I think you're very sweet. I always have."

Cassy laughed, and leaned against her friend. "Sam, do you think he'll get better?"

"I know he will," she replied. "You know that day at the hospital when I came to see you, and you knew I had Jolinar?"

"Yeah, how could I forget it? It was terrifying. Seeing you, with glowing eyes. I thought you were going to kill me," Cass nodded, any remaining colour draining from her face.

"Well you know the reason you could sense it was because of the leftover Naquada in your blood, from the bomb?" Sam continued. "Well, I have Naquada left in my blood, and the memories and stuff, of Jolinar. That means that I can use Goa'uld technology."

"I don't get it," Cassy frowned.

"Well they have a healing device," Sam smiled, pulling Cassandra closer. "And I'm going to use it on...Johnny, and try and heal him. It doesn't always work. My power is weak and untrained, and I am weak from my injuries. But I will try my best to help him. He may not be fully healed, but it may be enough to keep him alive."

"That's great," Cassy exclaimed, hugging her friend. "Oh my god. That is such great news! So he is going to be okay!"

"There is a chance it won't work," Sam said, stroking her hair. "Cassy, there is a chance. When Daniel died, before he died, I tried to heal him, and it didn't work. We're going to try it. We have to keep our fingers crossed."

"Okay."

"Colonel O'Neill, Doctor Frasier, General Hammond and I are going to be present. You can be here, if you want to be, but I'm not sure. Daniel and Teal'c don't need to be here and have decided that it's best that they stay out of the way. There are other patients to think of," she explained, letting go of the teenager. "If you'd like to be here, then fine. But remember that I'm going to be using Goa'uld technology. I'm using it for a good cause, but it still might not be something you want to see. I don't want to scare or upset you, I know Nirrti had hand and healing devices."

"I'll be okay," Cassandra said firmly. "I'll stay."

Sam patted her hand, and then stood up. "I've got to go and get the healing device from the lock up. I'll be back in ten minutes. Are you okay here? You need the bathroom, or a drink?"

"No, but I know where to go if I do," she nodded, shifting in her seat.

"It's a big mountain."

"I've spent a lot of time here," Cass grinned. "I know my way around."

"Carter!" O'Neill called, jogging up to her. She turned around and gave him her best smile. "Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Pretty good," she shrugged. "Don't worry, I can do this."

"I have never, ever doubted you," he said, placing a hand on her back. "You talk to Cass yet?" Sam nodded. "Let's go get that Goa'uld healer thing."

They arrived in the infirmary to find everyone ready and waiting. O'Neill patted Carter, showing her his support, and stood between Cassandra and General Hammond, out of the way.

Sam put the healing device on, and stepped forward, so that she was looking down at Johnny. She placed her hand above his stomach, and closed her eyes.

There was complete silence in the room, and the device activated, letting off a beautiful orange glow.

Sam stood there, the device healing, for a couple of minutes. Her eyes were screwed shut, and she was frowning. Then, suddenly, she opened her eyes, and the device stopped. She placed her other hand on her stomach, and took another deep breath.

She looked over at O'Neill and saw his eyebrow raise. He shot her a concerned look, but she nodded and then closed her eyes again, focusing.

The device began to glow again, and it kept going for another minute, before it cut off, and Sam fell to the floor.

O'Neill was at her side immediately, and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her over to the next bed, and lay her down. Janet came over and he left her to it, returning to Johnny's bed.

The boy slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his older self. "SGC?" He croaked.

"Yes," Jack nodded. "Sam just healed you. You're going to be okay."

"I don't feel okay," Johnny mumbled, fighting to keep his eyes open.

"She uhh, she passed out while she was healing you, son," Hammond told him, stepping forward into Johnny's view. "She may not have been able to heal you totally, but I am sure she managed to heal you enough to keep you alive. Had us all quite worried. Welcome back to Cheyenne Mountain, Johnathan."

"Thank you, sir," He said, trying his best to smile. He was too tired to salute, his arm ached like crazy. All of him ached like crazy. Plus, he wasn't air force any more, so he didn't have to. "Sam?"

Janet appeared, "she'll be okay, she's just exhausted. She was injured recently on a mission, and she wasn't back to full strength yet. Healing you just tired her out."

"Janet," he nodded. His eyes closed for a minute, and then he half opened them again. "Tired."

"We'll be back later," His older self told him, with a smile. He saluted casually, and then walked over to Sam's bed. Hammond nodded and left the infirmary, and Cassandra pulled up a chair beside the bed.

"I'll stay here, if that's okay with you, Jack," she grinned, holding his hand. "You can sleep, I'll just sit here with you."

"Of course," He smiled. "Cassykins." Cassandra laughed at this – her pet name from when she was eleven. Jack had always called her that, since her first Christmas.

"Candycane," she said, and he nodded slightly. He had the headache of all headaches too. "You always called me that too. Mom?"

"Do you need some painkillers, Johnny?" The doctor asked him, as she scribbed down notes on his chart. "We have morphine." He took hold of her hand and squeezed it, and she took that as a yes. "Okay, I'll be right back."

"Hey Sam," Jack smiled, as his second in command woke up. "How you doin?"

She blinked, and gave him a sleepy smile. "I'm okay," she said, "Exhausted."

"Not surprised," he nodded, sitting forward. "Johnny is asleep, but he did wake up. He's going to be okay. He's out of danger anyway. It didn't completely heal him, he'll be in hospital for a couple of weeks but, he'll pull through."

"That's good," she nodded. "I'm glad...I guess I passed out then?" Jack nodded and she sighed. "I do that a lot these days."

"You do...that's why my hair is growing thin," he laughed. "Seriously, I'm really proud of what you did. You were sick yourself, and you did something you hate doing, to save his life. My life. Thank you."

"Anytime."

* * *

Not the best place to end it, I know, but I needed to split it. I originally was going to carry on, but now I'm writing some of the scenes intended for this chapter, in the next. 


End file.
